Money Well Spent

At a time when colleges are increasingly scrutinized for their costs, graduation rates, and value in helping alumni find good-paying jobs, Rutgers University–New Brunswick received high marks at the U.S. Department of Education’s new website, College Scorecard (collegescorecard.ed.gov). It found that Rutgers–New Brunswick is one of 15 public four-year colleges that are among the top 10 percent of all four-year schools for graduation rates and median earnings. Close to 80 percent of students graduate within six years (the national  average is 44 percent), and 10 years after matriculating, alumni earned an average of $54,800 (the national average is $34,343).

Meanwhile, Washington Monthly magazine ranked Rutgers University–Camden second among colleges and universities in the Northeast in its 2015 “Best Bang for the Buck” category, improving from number 11 last year. Rutgers University–Newark was not far behind, ranked number nine. In evaluating universities, the magazine considers the percentage of low-income students who receive federal aid; the price of attendance after financial aid; the number of students involved in the Peace Corps and ROTC; and faculty awards for research.